Mayor Vincent Gray launched a Five-Year Economic Development Strategy in early June designed to advance job growth and business development. A collaborative effort between four DC-based universities and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, the plan is scheduled to be completed by this fall. MBA students will interview local business leaders in seven major industries—technology; retail; real estate and construction; professional services; hospitality; higher education and health care; and the federal government and federal contractors—to get their input. Their analysis of the sectors’ growth issues and opportunities will be coupled with an economic-impact model and private-sector commitments to provide a public-sector strategy roadmap for DC’s economic development plan. A Strategy Advisory Group comprised of private sector employers such as Douglas Development Corporation (702 H Street), elected officials, DC government agency heads and university presidents, will devise the plan.